Photo by Athlex.
Many people love knocking back a few hop-tastic brews like Indian Pale Ales after a long week, but not supertasters. In fact, they can barely stand the taste of beer at all. If that sounds familiar, you might be a supertaster yourself.
According to Dr. Robert DeSalle, curator of entomology in the Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics at the American Museum of Natural History, people fall into three major categories of tasters: nontasters comprise about 25 per cent of the population; normal tasters are roughly half the population; and supertasters make up the last 25 per cent.
These supertasters experience all tastes far more intensely than others, and the effects of different tastes are amplified for them, DeSalle explains at Nautilus. If something is kind of sweet, for example, it will be very sweet for a supertaster.
That means bitter drinks like beer, especially IPAs, are extremely bitter to the supertasting population. The intense flavour of the hops and taste of the alcohol is too much to handle. When it comes to other stiff drinks, like liquor, supertasters can’t handle the burn there either. And if you’re part of the incredibly small group of extreme supertasters (less than 1 per cent of the population), even lighter beers like lagers are often too bitter to “develop a taste for.”
So, if you can’t stand IPAs, but can manage sipping on some lighter brews, you might be a supertaster. If you enjoy them all, join the normal tasters club. We have jackets. You can read more about supertasters at the link below.
How to Tell If You’re a Supertaster [Nautilus]
Comments
3 responses to “You Might Hate IPAs Because You’re A Supertaster”
I had no idea that I’m possibly an extreme super taster… I always just thought it was simply that beer is shite and people only allow themselves to acquire a taste for it since this is the socially inclusive thing to do. That people willingly and regularly pay good money for an amber liquid that’s one step away from urine never fails to amaze me!
Every drink is one step away from urine.
I guess that’s the science behind the saying “we all have different tastes”.